Hosiery drying apparatus



1 T. "w. PROSSER El AL 'HOSIERY DRYING APPARATUS I Nov. 17, 1936;

Filed April 26, 1955 2-She tsSheet 1 v INVENTORD A TTORNEYS.

1936- T. w. PROSSER ET AL 2,060,895

HOSIERY DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IINVENTORS Fiona/5' 70557 A TTORNEYS. f

Patented Nov. 17, 1936 PATT kakce, 11.,

assignors to Paramount Textile Machinery 00., Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois,

Application April 26, 1933, Serial No. 667,980

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to hosiery drying forms of the type which aremounted upon a conduit or pipe which supplies a heating medium, such assteam or hot water, to the interior of the form, and is concerned moreparticularly with an arrangement for detachably securing the form to theconduit so as to facilitate the interchangeability of the forms on thesame or on other conduits and of permitting the mounting of a plu- 1orality of different sizes and shapes of forms on the same conduit.

The form contemplated by the present application is of the general typedisclosed in United States Letters Patent to Butz, No. 1,207,496,

15 dated December 5, 1916. Forms of this character are commonly boltedto a conduit or pipe which supplies the heating medium to the interiorof the form, each form being intended to dry and shape a particular sizeand style of stocking. A

20 hosiery mill, however, manufactures many different shapes and sizesof hosiery, so that it has heretofore been necessary to provide separatedrying tables carrying the required styles and shapes of forms, or toactually unbolt one style 25 of forms for replacement by another on theconduits, an exceptionally slow and uneconomical operation, or toprovide attachments which resiliently grip the sides of the form andwhich are utilized to vary the size and shape of the 30 drying form. Thelatter expedient, in particular has been found to be highlyobjectionable because of the tendency of the attachments to split alongtheir welded joints, resulting in rough edges which snag or tear thestocking. More- 35 over, these attachments are rather expensive to makeand maintain, and they are easily battered in handling.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of our invention to devisea mode of connection ber 40 tween the drying form and conduit whichtakes 45 these coupling parts together and so mount the drying form onthe conduit.

A further object is to provide a coupling connection in which thecoupling part that is secured to thedrying form is standard for allforms, regardless of their size and shape, so that, in a drying room soequipped, a form may be quickly attached or detached to or from anyconduit, or to or from any point along any particular 55 conduit.

A further object is to provide a coupling connection of the characterindicated which is constructed and arranged to permit a limited shiftingof the form rotarily of its longitudinal axis for the purpose of placingthe form in a selected position most convenient for the boardingoperator.

These and further objects of our invention will be set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and the novel means by which said objects are effectuated willbe definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a hosiery drying form showing our improvedcoupling connection interposed therebetween and the conduit whichsupplies heating medium to the drying form.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the coupling connection andthe associated conduit and form, as viewed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line i4 in Fig. 3, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. ,4, but showing the form shiftedrotarily around its axis of support on the conduit.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to the lower portion of Fig. 1, showing amodified type of coupling connection.

Fig. 7 is a section along the line l-'l in Fig. 6, looking in thedirection of the arrows, and showing in dotted lines an alternativeposition of the drying form.

Fig. 8 is a View, partly in section, similar to that shown in Fig. 6,but illustrating a further modification of the coupling connection.

Fig. 91s a section along the line 99 in Fig. 8, looking in the directionof the arrows. I

Figs. 10 and 11 are elevation and plan views of a modified type ofclamping mechanism which may be employed in connection with the couplingconnections shown in Figs. 3 and 6.

Figs. 12 and 13 are elevation and plan views,' respectively, showingstill further modifications of clamp-ing mechanisms which may also beemployed in connection with the coupling connections shown in Figs. 3and 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the numeral l designates a hosierydrying form of a type well known in the industry, the precise. size andshape of which is immaterial for present purposes, but

which is hollow for the purpose of receiving a,

heating medium and preferably is divided into two communicating chambersby a longitudinally extending septum 2. Further, in connection with thetype of form employed, it will be understood that the essential featuresof our invention are not restricted to a form which is heated internallyby steam or hot water, since our coupling connection is also adaptablefor use with electrically heated forms, as well as those of theexternally heated type. The primary purpose of our invention is topermit easy and rapid interchangeability of forms on the same supportingstructure, so that the nature of the heating medium is whollyimmaterial.

The base of the form is provided with the customary flange 3 having boltholes t through which extend studs 5, whose lower ends are threaded in aform-attaching part 6 that constitutes one of the portions of thecoupling connection. Nuts 1 threaded on the upper ends of the studs 5serve to clamp the indicated parts together and a gasket 8 of suitablematerial may be interposed between the flange 3 and the coupling part 5.The coupling part 5 is provided with a passage 9 for delivering steam,for example, to a chamber l9, located to the left of the septum 2, whilethe same passage communicates with the chamber l l on the opposite sideof the septum by means of a connecting passage l2.

The underside of the coupling part 5 is provided with a boss it which isseparated from a similar boss is that extends upwardly from a couplingpart 55 by an appropriate gasket l5. Securing studs ll pass throughsuitable apertures in the coupling part l5 and their lower ends arethreaded in the wall of a conduit l8, nuts is threaded on the upper endsof said studs serving to permanently retain the part IS in position onthe conduit. A suitable sealing gasket 2c may be interposed between thepart I5 and the conduit l8. In order to facilitate a proper seal betweenthe conduit and the part i5, the under surface of the latter ispreferably shaped to fit the curvature of the conduit, as indicated bythe numeral 2i in Fig. 2.

The coupling part 15 is also provided with a passage 22 which is inalignment with the passage 9 and also with an aperture 23, of whichthere are two shown in Fig. 3 corresponding to the usual pair of suchopenings found in steam conduits that support drying forms, but only oneof which is required in the present instance, the other aperture beingsealed by the gasket 28. Extending upwardly within the passage 22 is asteam nozzle E l whose lower end is threaded within a steam pipe 25which is in communica tion with a suitable steam supply. Under theseconditions, therefore, steam passing through the pipe 25 is deliveredthrough the nozzle 24 to the passage 9 and then upwardly through thechamber ll! in the form and thence downwardly through the chamber l lfor final exhausting through the passages l2 and 9, respectively, andfinal delivery into the conduit [8.

In the type of connection shown in Fig. 3, the followinginstrumentalities are employed to detachably secure the coupling partstogether. In one end of the coupling part 15 there is threaded the lowerend of a bolt 25 whose shank extends upwardly through the bifurcated end21 of the coupling part 5, the head of the bolt resting on the topsurface of the indicated end of the coupling part. The spacing of thebolt head from the part [5 may be adjusted as desired and there aftermaintained in this position by a lock nut 28.

At the opposite end of the coupling part I5 is provided an car 29 havingthreaded holes 30 and 3| extending inwardly from the opposite facesthereof and with their axes angularly disposed to each other, as clearlyshown in Figs. 4 and 5, the axis of the threaded hole 35 being normallydisposed with respect to the axis of the conduit I8. In the position ofthe form shown in Fig. 4, a screw 32 is mounted in the hole 35 and uponthis screw is journaled the lower end of an eye bolt 33 whose shankextends upwardly through the bifurcated end 3 1 of the coupling part 5and mounted on the upper extremity of the shank 33 is a hand wheel 35which is preferably composed of a suitable non-conducting material forthe purpose of protecting the hand of the operator when it is necessaryto change the form. The top surfaces of the bifurcated end 34 slopedownwardly from the form in order to accommodate the angularity of theeye bolt shank 33 and a shoulder 36 is formed at each end of thebifurcated portion, so that when the hand wheel is screwed down tightlyto clamp the coupling part 6 to the coupling part 55, there will not beany possibility of the bolt sliding off the bifurcated end.

In mounting the form on the conduit, it is only necessary to insert thebifurcated end 21 under the head of the bolt 2%; and rest the boss 53 onthe gasket iii. The hand wheel 35, which is then occupying a positiondisplaced from that shown in Fig. 3, is then swung upwardly to theposition shown in Fig. 3 and clamping pressure applied to the uppersurfaces of the bifurcated end 34. During this action, it Will beobvious that the head of the bolt 25 acts as a fulcrum, so that a veryeffective pressure can be applied to the gasket it to thoroughly sealthe coupling connection in this location by reason of the lever actionof the coupling part 6 under the pressure applied by the hand wheel 35.

In order to maintain the hand wheel 35 free of contact with the conduitit when swung outwardly to permit the removal of a form, the lower endof the bolt may be provided with a flat surface 31 for engaging with thevertical surface 33 on the coupling part i5, these two parts engagingltao limit the downward swinging movement of the olt.

For reasons set forth in United States Letters Patent to Prosser, No.1,816,296, dated July 28, 1931, it is frequently desirable to shift theform from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the angular position shown inFig. 5. Generally speaking, the purpose of this shifting of the form isto facilitate the boarding and stripping of the stocking, since theoperator who faces the form is better able to place the hands onopposite sides of the form in order to grasp the stocking. Our improvedcoupling connection is readily adaptable for this purpose, since it isonly necessary to provide an additional threaded hole 39 in the couplingpart !5, this hole corresponding to the hole 45 which receives the lowerend of the bolt 26. To shift the form to the position shown in Fig. 5,it is merely necessary to remove the screw 32 from the hole 30 and mountit in the angularly disposed hole 3|. The pivot of the bolt 33 isaccordingly shifted to the opposite side of the lug 29 and on theopposite side of the form, the bolt 25 may be shifted from the hole 40to the hole 39. Accordingly, a drying form provided with a single typeof coupling part 6 may be located in either of the drying positions on aconduit shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 differs essentially fromthat just described in that instead of providing for shifts of positionof the drying form by relocating the bolt elements in the lower couplingpart, the upper coupling part is provided with additional means forengaging the bolts which remain fixed in position.

Accordingly, the numeral 4| designates the lower coupling part which ismounted on the conduit and which corresponds generally to the couplingpart l5, except that additional mountings for the bolts are notprovided. At the opposite ends of the coupling part 4| are mounted thefixed bolt 42 and the swinging bolt 43, corresponding to the same partsillustrated in Fig. 3, and which, when the drying form is occupying aposition which is aligned with a vertical plane passing through theconduit, for example, extend upwardly through slots 44 and 45,respectively, provided in the opposite ends of the upper coupling part46. To provide for rotarily shifting this form, the coupling part 46 isprovided with additional slots 41 and 48 which are angularly displacedwith respect to the slots 44 and 45, respectively, so that when thebolts 42 and 43 are occupying the slots 41 and 48, the drying form willoccupy the shifted position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the drying form 49 is not ofthe standard type corresponding to that heretofore described, but isprovided with a downwardly extending shell 50 having flanges whichextend in opposite directions from the shell. The lower end of the shell50 projects below the flanges 5| and is journaled Within a hole 52provided in a lower coupling part 53. The part 53 is attached to aconduit 54, corresponding to the conduit |8 by means of studs 55 whichpass through the part 53 for threaded reception in the wall of theconduit 54. A gasket 56 is interposed between the part 53 and theconduit 54. The studs 55 are locked in position by means of nuts 51which also serve to hold the coupling part 53 against the gasket andsaid studs extend upwardly through open ended, curved slots 58 providedin the flanges 5| which constitute the upper coupling part. Wing nuts 59threaded on the upper ends of these studs 55 are utilized to press thecoupling part 5| downwardly into firm contact with a gasket 6|], similarto the gasket l6, which is interposed between the two coupling parts.

Internally, the shell 5|! is divided into inlet and exhaust passages 6|and 62, respectively, by a septum 63 and projecting upwardly into thepassage BI is a steam nozzle 64 whose lower end projects through anaperture 65 provided in the wall of the conduit 54 for support upon andcommunicating relation with a steam pipe 66. Exhaust steam passingdownwardly through the passage 62 is delivered to the conduit 54 throughan aperture Bl.

Within the length of the curved slot 58, it will be obvious that theform 49 may be rotarily shifted into a plurality of positions and ineach of these positions, operative connection with the conduit 54 may beestablished by applying suitable pressure through the medium of the wingnuts 59. To remove a form, it is merely necessary to loosen these nutsand rotate the form until the curved slots are clear of the studs 55,whereupon the form may be simply lifted from the conduit.

In Figs. and 11 is illustrated a modified form of clamping member whichmay be substituted for the swinging bolts 33 or 43 shown in Figs. 3 and6, respectively. In this modification, the numeral 68 designates aswinging bolt of the general type heretofore described and upon which ismounted a cam member 59 that is freely rotatable upon the shank of thebolt and which may be moved to any desired position by means of a handleiii. Above the cam member, a special nut 1| is threaded on the shank ofthe swinging bolt and this nut is provided with a depending finger 12which is intended to engage with a helical cam surface 13 on the cammember. A look nut 14 maintains the nut H in any adjusted position. Ifit is considered that this locking modification is employed as asubstitute for the swinging bolt 33, the underside of the cam member 55will engage the upper surfaces of the bifurcated ends of the uppercoupling part 6 when the drying form is in operative position. At thistime, the cam 65 will occupy the position substantially shown in Fig.10. In order to loosen the clamp to permit removal of the form, it ismerely necessary to rotate the handle 10 in a clockwise direction, asviewed in Fig. 11, to thereby free the finger 12 from contact with thecam surface 13, whereupon the cam may be shifted upwardly along theshank of the bolt and the latter swung toward the right to a positionfree of the part 6. In mounting the form with this clampingmodification, it will be obvious that a reverse movement of the handlewill bring the cam surface to engagement with the finger 12 until thedesired pressure is obtained.

In Figs. 12 and 13 is illustrated a still further form of clampingdevice which is shown in connection with the coupling connectionillustrated in Fig. 3, more particularly, but which is also susceptibleof use for the coupling connection illustrated in Fig. 6. In thismodification, the numeral 75 designates a pair of link members whoselower ends are pivotally connected to the ear 29, for example, on thecoupling part I5. The upper ends of these links are pivotally connectedto a cylindrical cam E6, the pivot connection being eccentric withrespect to the axis of the cam, as clearly shown in Fig. 12. Anoperating handle 'l'l projects from one side of the cam 16 and ispreferably composed of a material that does not readily conduct heat.From an examination of Fig. 12, it will be obvious that, by rotating thehandle 11 in a clockwise direction, the cam 16 will be moved to aposition permitting a swinging of the links 15 toward the right andtherefore a separation of the coupling parts. When swung in the oppositedirection, with the coupling parts in the positions shown, pressure isapplied to the upper coupling part 6 in a manner to operatively seat thedrying form on the lower coupling part.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that, in any of themodifications illustrated, any type of form, regardless of shape, styleor size, may be interchangeably fitted to the lower coupling parts whichare mounted on the conduit. Our improved coupling connection thereforeprovides a simple arrangement for standardizing the forms as regardstheir capacity for attachment to a plurality of conduits and accordinglyrenders more flexible the manufacturing program of a hosiery mill. Thoseforms which are not in use may be stored on the wall in appropriateracks, or on racks built in the form of a truck which may be moved fromplace to place dependent upon the demands of production. Accordingly,even though the mill is provided with a limited supply of drying tables,a variety in the hosiery production may be obtained on any day or onsuccessive days merely by changing the forms from time to time ascircumstances require. The nature of our coupling connection permitsthese changes to be made very rapidly and with a minimum of loss inproduction time.

We claim:

1. In a hosiery drying structure, a coupling device for facilitating therapid attachment and detachment to and from a heat supplying conduit ofa hosiery drying form having a base flange normally intended to bedirectly attached to a conduit, comprising a pair of elongated couplingparts, one of the parts being permanently fastened to the Wall of theconduit and the other part adapted to be permanently secured to theflange and including a pair of open ended slots at each end thereofarranged to provide cooperative pairs at opposite ends of the parts, oneof the cooperative pairs being angularly disposed to the other, theparts having apertured faces contactable to form a seal between theparts, a headed bolt fixedly mounted in the conduit part to have itsstem project through one of the slots, a bolt pivoted on the conduitpart and swingable to extend its stem through the other cooperativeslot, and nut means threaded on the pivoted bolt for applying pressureto the slotted coupling part against the fulcrum provided by the head onthe fixed bolt whereby the parts are drawn together to make a tightjoint, said bolts being engaged with either of the cooperative pairs ofslots to vary the angular position of the form relative to the conduit.

2. In a hosiery drying structure, a coupling device for facilitating therapid attachment and detachment to and from a heat supplying conduit ofa hosiery drying form having a base flange normally intended to bedirectly attached to a conduit, comprising a pair of elongated couplingparts, one of the parts being permanently fastened to the wall of theconduit with its longitudinal center line parallel to the axis of theconduit and the other part adapted to be permanently secured to theflange and including a pair of open ended slots at each end thereofarranged to provide cooperative pairs at opposite ends of the parts, oneof the cooperative pairs being substantially located along thelongitudinal center line of the parts and the other cooperative pairbeing angularly disposed thereto, the parts having apertured facescontactable to form a seal between the parts, a headed bolt fixedlymounted in the conduit part tohave its stem project through one of theslots at one end of the slotted part, a bolt pivoted on the conduit partand swingable to extend its stem through the other cooperative slot ofthe pair, and nut means threaded on the pivoted bolt for applyingpressure to the slotted coupling part against the fulcrum provided bythe head on the fixed bolt whereby the parts are drawn together to makea tight joint, the bolts being insertable through either of thecooperative pairs of slots to thereby vary the position of the formrelative to the conduit.

THOMAS W. PROSSER. JOHN H. WAI-ILBECK.

